Midnight Escapades
by Steamed.Artichoke.43
Summary: Shelby has always been a light sleeper.  But tonight she awakes not at any particular noise, but rather the absence of it.  And when she goes to check on Rachel, she's in for quite the surprise.
1. Chapter 1

O wow! Sammi here and I've gotta say... I am on a roll! I was literally typing this and the second chapter of Priority Adjustment simultaneously because the thought just came to me and I didn't want to forget it while it was still fresh in my mind :D

This is **#2 in my Mama Bear Series**, the first being Hell Hath No Fury. Hope you like it...

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**Disclaimer: Glee's not mine, I'm just borrowing the characters for a little bit of mindless entertainment :D**

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She had always been an exceptionally light sleeper. It was a quirk she had always attributed to her keen hearing, a talent that was often utilized and came quite handy in her line of work. However her self proclaimed blessing was also a curse. Especially when one lived in a relatively old house with a teenager that was quite the restless sleeper. So whether it was the steady drip of the kitchen tap or the rustling bedsheets from Rachel's room down the hall, Shelby often found her eyes fluttering open several times a night at the most insignificant of sounds.

Yet as she opened her eyes on this particular night, she realized that tonite was different. Very different. And when she turned to the clock on her side table, she realized why. She had gone to bed around ten-thirty and had managed to get a solid four hours of sleep without interruption. Gone were the leaky faucets and creaky floorboards. While those were sounds she could very well do without, she felt an odd sense of unease. And as she listened closely to the sounds of the night, she realized why. Rachel was quiet.

Throwing off the duvet currently covering her lower body, Shelby briskly made her way to her daughter's door and promptly knocked before peeking inside. She took note of the quiet, unmoving lump lying on the bed and felt her nervousness dissipate. Her daughter was just fine. She shook her head and chuckled at her overly dramatic presumptions. She knelt quietly at the bedside to retreive a discarded teddy bear that had fallen from her daughter's side. She stood with intent to replace it in her child's arms and tuck the blankets tighter around Rachel, when something else caught her attention. Her 'daughter' wasn't moving. At all. _What the hell?_ Shelby lifted the blankets and gasped. Her 'daughter' was nothing more than a few well placed pillows and a stuffed elephant. She ran throughout the house, searching the various rooms and even the backyard for her missing child. Her previous feelings of apprehension returned after her search came up empty and Shelby suddenly felt a very strong sense of trepidation.

_Where was Rachel? Was she okay?_

As she entered the kitchen, more questions bombarded her mind and Shelby had to fight the tension headache she felt building. Taking a few deep breaths, she organized her rampant thoughts. She grabbed the cordless phone that was sitting on the island in the center of the room and speedily dialed a familiar number. After all six of her calls to Rachel (and even a few to Finn) went straight to voicemail, Shelby felt her unease grow into full fledged panic. She was unsure of her next move. Calling the police seemed reasonable, but she was hesistant to do so in case Rachel showed up in the time it took for them to get here. She made up her mind and opted to call her daughter's fathers. Hiram and Leroy Berry were currently in Hawaii celebrating their 26th anniversary, hence the reason Rachel was with her in the first place. Once she got Hiram on the phone, thankful she hadn't disturbed them too much having forgotton about the ten-hour time difference, he was adamant they hadn't spoken to Rachel since the four of them had gone out to dinner four days prior. They suggested that she should drive around to Rachel's usual hangouts as well as friends' houses in search of the collective's missing offspring, agreeing that calling the police so prematurely might not be the greatest idea just yet. After Shelby ended the call, once she agreed to update the fathers Berry every hour or so, she scrambled back to her room to throw on a pair of sneakers and a sweatshirt, prepared to search the entire state of Ohio for her missing daughter.

In her haste to place her arms in their appropriate holes of the uncooperative hooded article, her doorbell rang. She groaned in frustration before tugging the sweatshirt into place, slipping on her shoes and proceeding to run down the stairs into the foyer. "Rachel, where have you—" The rest of her statement died on her lips and her blood ran cold as she took note of the police officer currently standing at her door. Images and thoughts of her baby hurt somewhere or worse immediately came to the forefront of her mind and Shelby found herself fighting tears as she greeted the officer.

"Morning ma'am. Sorry to disturb you so late. Is this the Corcoran residence?" All Shelby could manage was a nod in the affirmative, as she had seemingly lost her ability to speak. "And are you a Ms. Shelby Corcoran?" Once again a simple nod. The officer turned back to his vehicle, that  
Shelby could vaguely see was sitting in her dark driveway, and gestured to who she could only assume was a fellow officer. She noticed some movement as he opened the back door to the police cruiser and began to escort someone up the darkened path. Shelby felt her heart drop at the sight of her babygirl in handcuffs. "Do you know this young woman, Ms. Corcoran?"

In an instant, Shelby's voice was restored. "Yes Officer…she's my daughter."

At the sound of her mother's voice, Rachel's eyes lifted from the ground and caught her gaze. No more than a second later her eyes averted back to her feet. Despite the quickly shared glance, the conversation between mother and daughter had been sufficient enough to get one thing clear in Rachel's mind: _She was in serious trouble_. In hopes of delaying her mother's wrath, she scurried off to the side of the door, out of her mother's line of sight, and allowed the officer to explain just how he managed to retain custody of her in the first place.

"Well Ms. Corocran, it appears a few of the seniors decided to get a bit of a jump start on their senior prank this year. We got tipped off around midnite from a passerby who noticed a few cars in the parking lot and some lights flashing over at McKinley High while he was walking his dog. My partner and I patrolled for a bit and it was only about an hour ago that we noticed anything. We found about twenty of them filling the halls with bales of hay, spray painting Coach Sylvester's office, dumping gelatin into the swimming pool and attempting to break into the administrative offices. I've also confiscated about three dozen chickens and at least a hundred mice and hamsters from the back of one boy's truck…"

Shelby pinched the bridge of her nose as she continued to be regaled by the officer with stories of her daughter's late nite adventure. By the end, not only was she fuming but she felt the familiar throbbing in her temples. A tell tale sign that the headache she had been fighting for so long was on its way and probably going to advance into a migraine. She sighed. "Will there be any charges brought up against the teens?"

"No ma'am. In lieu of any formal charges or complaints, I've been assured by Principal Figgins that in addition to whatever punishment the parents are sure to dish out he will deal with the students individually on Monday."

"Oh trust me, she will _definitely_ be punished," Shelby muttered.

The officer chuckled. "If I may say so Ms. Corcoran. Her record's clean and she wasn't all that involved, based on what her peers are admitting, ma'am. More of the lookout really. I wouldn't be too hard on her. Kids will be kids, after all."

Shelby offered the officer a tight smile. It was only after she watched him remove the handcuffs from Rachel's wrists and return to his vehicle that she released a shaky breath, she only just noticed she had been holding. She sighed once more attempting to secure the control on her frayed nerves and spiralling emotions. She soon realized that her attempts were proving ineffective, and released what sounded like a low growl of frustration through her clenched teeth. "Rachel?"

Her daughter's head slowly came into view. Rachel offered a tense smile and nervous wave. "Hey Mom. It's such a nice night, huh? The stars are out and the moon is shining so brightly. So romantic. It's almost poetic and—"

"Inside. Now." Shelby ordered. She watched the younger girl practically up and run into the house at the command. Shutting the door behind them, she led Rachel in to the kitchen. Pulling out a vacant stool, she placed it in the center of the room. "Sit."

Rachel did as she was told and her shoulders slumped almost immediately. Based on her mother's clipped tone and brief sentences, she knew she was probably going to be on the receiving end of one of Shelby Corcoran's infamous tongue lashings. While her mother's students and the VA kids had all experienced at least one of these on a daily basis, it would be a first for her. Throughout their fledgling relationship, Rachel had never even heard a dip in her mother's usual tone. She found herself biting her lip, a nervous habit she'd apparently inherited from her mother, and watching as her mom slowly paced in front her. Before she could be banished to her room and grounded for all eternity, she opted to at least get in a word. Or two. She knew it was probably going to come out as babbling, but she felt she had to say _something_ in her defense. "Mom. I'm so sorry. I didn't—" Her apology was interrupted by the ringing of the cordless phone.

Shelby once again picked up the phone from the counter and put it to her ear, turning her back to Rachel in the process. "Hiram! I was just about to call you…Yes, well, seems she's been home the whole time…"

Rachel quirked an eyebrow in confusion. Did her mom just _lie_ to her fathers? She felt her shoulders perk up as well as her current mood. If her mom wasn't telling her dads, maybe, just maybe, she wasn't in as much trouble as she suspected. She continued to listen in to half of the conversation as her mother concocted a rather believable story, her elation slowly growing with every word. As the conversation continued to play out, Rachel was left amazed at her mother's quick thinking and even her imagination.

"…but yes. It was silly of me really. I searched the entire house, except for the basement. Apparently she couldn't sleep and was down there watching a movie because she didn't want to disturb me upstairs. Well. Imagine my surprise as I was on my way out the door and we run into each other as she was coming up for a bottle of water. Anyway, I apologize that I worried you both and interrupted what I'm sure is turning out to be a wonderful vacation…Yes, well kids will be kids, right?...Enjoy the rest of your evening and tell Leroy I said 'hi'…Of course. Bye." Shelby ended the call and replaced the phone in its cradle. With her back still to her daughter, she took another moment to organize herself. When she turned to face Rachel, she pulled out another stool and sat opposite her. She began to think of just how she would begin what was probably going to end up being a very extensive lecture. And most significantly, the very first lecture she'd ever given as a parent. Shelby couldn't help a sense of pride at just how far the pair of them had come and yet she was also battling a sense of disappointment at her daughter's actions. Allowing a few more minutes to go by, she hoped to use the silence to allow Rachel to stew in her own guilt but when she looked up from where her hands were resting her lap she found Rachel staring back at her with a slight smile. "What?"

"N-nothing," Rachel mumbled out at the sharp retort. She too looked to her lap and began to wring her hands. "It's just—I—or you…what I mean to say is…why did you lie to my dads?"

Shelby ran her fingers through her hair, if only to give her hands something to do. "Would you have preferred I told them that their trustworthy, responsible little girl, who would never sneak out of the house in the middle of the night to vandalize public property, took advantage of her fathers' absence, not to mention her mother's trust, did just that? Because if you'd like, I can call them back right now and you can tell them everything." Shelby smiled wryly as she watched the young girl before her shake her head emphatically. "Didn't think so. But to truly answer your question, I saw no reason to disrupt the otherwise blissful time your dads are more than likely having on their vacation by telling them you were arrested, especially if I can handle the situation just fine." Without much notice, Shelby watched as her daughter's face seemed to crumple in on itself and she began to cry. She immediately stood up and took the two steps forward before gathering her daughter into her arms.

"I really am sorry Mom. I'm not even sure why I did it, well I know why…but I don't know _why_. I just have this insanely pathological need to fit in. And with it being my senior year I just thought this was my last chance y'know," Rachel cried, her words muffled against the cotton of Shelby's sweatshirt.

"Oh, Rach. Honey, don't cry. C'mon, it's okay," Shelby soothed, rocking her little girl till her sobs subsided. "Look, I was a teenager once upon a time too, okay? Admittedly, it was a while ago, but I understand the pressure and the anxieties and everything else that is thrust upon you day in, day out. It's not easy and I get that, Baby, I do. So please, _please_ calm down and breathe. You know I hate it when you cry."

Rachel nodded as she sniffled into her mother's shoulder. "Soo, I'm not in trouble?"

Shelby smiled down at the girl in her arms. "No, you're not in trouble," she answered lightly. She gave Rachel a moment to celebrate before continuing. "Not with your dads anyway." Shelby released her hold on her and dropped a kiss in the hair of the now stunned teenager before her. She made her way to the main staircase and threw a smirk over her shoulder. With her daughter's outburst and her oncoming headache, she knew that three in the morning was certainly not the right time for a long talk about anything and thus decided to let it slide. For now. "I'm going back to bed, and I suggest you do the same because come tomorrow morning you and I will be having a little chat on why sneaking out of the house and attempting to scare your mother half to death is simply unacceptable. Until then, sweet dreams Babygirl."

Rachel, still dazed from Shelby's speech, remained seated as she listened to her mother make her way up the staircase and into her room. She waited a moment before following the same path, returning to her own room and falling back on her bed. As she stared up into space, she found herself unable to sleep in anticipation of the talk she'd be having in a couple of hours. _I wonder if it's too late to call Daddy…_

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Who'd have thought..._Rachel _sneaking out tsk tsk lol

Anyway you know the drill...

_Good? Rotten Tomatoes? or just plain ehh? Lemme know._

_Till next time..._


	2. Chapter 2

_OK, I have been agonizing over this for nearly three days. I wasn't sure if I did Shelby justice, or if I've made her too harsh. Either way this is the best I could do, short of having her ground Rachel till she was thirty-five. Also, while the category is humor, I'm not too sure if there's anything explicitly funny in this chapter. I mean there might be, but you'd probably have to squint really hard at a certain part assuming you haven't already been scared witless (like I was) while reading..._

_Sooo without further ado, I give you Midnight Escapades pt. II..._

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For possibly the first time in all her adult life and without the aid of an alarm clock, Shelby was up before the sun. Having never been a morning person, this was totally out of the norm for her. But there was a valid reason for this anamoly. From the moment she realized Rachel was missing up until she learned of her daughter's run in with the law, Shelby had been in somewhat of a stupor and when the haze finally cleared she was at a loss at to what her next move would be. Of course she realized Rachel needed to be punished. And just as she had told the officer who had delivered Rachel back into her custody, she definitely would be. _But how?_

She had spent the rest of the night, and well into the early morning hours, trying to figure out the answer to that very question. While a scolding was certainly warranted, it didn't seem to be enough for Rachel's misdeamenor. And a spanking was certainly out of the question because Rachel was seventeen, not twelve. Although she did mull it over once or twice. Considering her daughter's childish behavior, a child's punishment would be more than fitting.

It wasn't until an hour ago that it finally came to her. She sat up quickly with a sense of purpose and slipped out of bed. With a determined nod, she began to prepare herself for the day.

Rachel wasn't going to know what hit her.

Meanwhile, two doors down, Rachel had remained in her bed for the remainder of the night, praying that either the morning would never come or at the very least her mother would have forgotten about last night. She understood that one was inevitable and the other was downright impossible, but that didn't stop her from hoping.

Throughout the night, she'd received text messages from her friends updating her on their own situations. Kurt and Finn were both grounded until well after Winter Break was over. And with it being only the first week of November, she felt their pain. Mercedes was told that any and all of her freetime would be spent volunteering at her dad's dentist office. Santana and Brittany were both charged with the task of babysitting their younger siblings free of charge every weekend for the rest of the year and well into the next. Quinn had gotten her car taken away and was probably doomed to facing the same fate as Finn and Kurt. Mike and Tina had lost their phone and computer privileges indefinitely, yet still managed to send out messages, which kind of baffled her. And lastly there was Puck. Of all of them, he'd probably gotten off the easiest. His mom, apparently used to such wild behavior, simply wanted him to write a letter of apology to Principal Figgins. And knowing Puck he was probably going to just google the thing and make a few necessary changes before handing it in.

After hearing of her friends' fates, she began to get a rather sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She may not have known her mother her entire life, like her friends had known their own parents, but she knew Shelby well enough to know that Shelby Corcoran was not someone you wanted to get angry. Additionally, she knew her mom was not going to let her get away with her actions. Had she been caught only sneaking out, she'd imagined her mother would have let it slide with a warning. But the getting arrested part was rather hard to ignore. There had been a patrol car, an officer and handcuffs involved. That wasn't something you just forgot about overnight. With a sigh, she sat up in her bed. Checking the time, she realized it was only a few minutes after seven and thus still early, so her mom was likely to still be asleep. _Might as well enjoy your freedom while you still have it._ She thought miserably.

Peeking out from behind her bedroom door, she listened in for any indication that her mother could possibly be awake. She breathed a sigh of relief when all she heard was silence. Rachel then ever so quietly tiptoed out of her bedroom and to the staircase. And just like the night before, she was careful to avoid the fifth and eighth steps due to them being the squeakiest. She touched down on the final landing and was careful once again to avoid the noisy floorboards for fear that her mom's supersensitive hearing would pick up on it. She was only a few feet away from the kitchen when a light within her mother's office suddenly turned on, causing Rachel to jump back and slide down a nearby wall. "Omigod!"

Shelby slowly spun her office chair around, her fingers steepled underneath her chin. "Well, good morning to you too," she replied with a tight smile. Uncrossing her legs, she proceeded to get up from her chair, placing it in the center of the room before moving to stand behind it. "Have a seat."

Rachel looked on, her face masked in complete uncertainty, as her mother stared back at her stone faced and began to pat the back of the offered chair. Her heart was racing, in part to being frightened out of her wits only seconds ago and then recalling her mother's promise from a few hours prior.

"It wasn't a request."

With an audible gulp, Rachel pushed herself off of the floor and entered her mother's domain. This was one of the very rare occassions that Rachel had ever even been inside of the room. She'd always considered this space off limits, although her mother had never explicitly told her so. She took a quick moment to observe her surroundings before taking a seat, looking everywhere but at the woman standing behind her. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that her mother was not in her usual weekend attire. Instead of a simple Tshirt and sweats, Shelby was wearing a pair of her black work slacks, heeled boots and a black cableknit sweater. And that did not bode well at all for Rachel's immediate future. Because while Rachel knew physically it was her mother in the room, mentally she knew she was facing Ms. Corcoran. And she didn't like Ms. Corcoran. Her mom's other persona was cold, heartless and detached. A far cry from the doting, caring and affectionate woman that Rachel had come to love so dearly.

Shelby maintained her stance behind the chair and allowed Rachel a moment to get comfortable. Because while Rachel may not know it now she was going to be here a while. When her daughter finally stopped squirming, she crossed her arms and began. "I'm sure we both know why we're here, but for the sake of getting everything out, I think we should examine the details, don't you?" she asked Rachel, who nodded timidly in response. "Now then. Last night, after dinner, we opted to watch a movie. Around ten you got up and said you were going to bed. I then followed thirty minutes later. From here on out it's speculation, so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. Sometime between eleven and twelve you managed to sneak out of the house and make your way to your high school…"

"Y-yes, M-mo—uh—Ma'am."

"You then proceeded to assist your bumbling classmates with their delinquent act of carrying out the senior prank, before you were caught and then brought back home by a police officer who then told me of your late night antics. Does that about sum it up?"

"Y-yes Ma'am." Rachel replied, her voice a mere decibel above a whisper. She then gasped as she felt the chair suddenly spun around and she was looking directly into her mother's eyes as Shelby maintained a firm grip on the chair.

"Well then that only leaves one question. What the hell were you thinking? Assuming you were even thinking at all," Shelby shouted, causing Rachel to flinch and recoil further into the leather seat. "Because the young woman that I have gotten to know for the better part of two years now would never purposely go out of her way to break the rules. And I'm fairly certain my own daughter would never intentionally cause her loved ones to be placed in the position to be caught worrying about her very well-being."

Rachel's gaze fell from her mother's eyes, unable to take the disappointment she saw in them. "I-I'm sor—"

"Oh, I know you're sorry. But you need to understand that your actions could have had some really serious consequences, Rachel. For example, what if Principal Figgins had decided to have charges brought up against you? What then?"

"I-I don't know." Rachel mumbled quietly.

"You're nearly eighteen, so it could very well have gone on your permanent record. Or there could've been a court case. Or you could have been placed in jail, Rachel! And with me none the wiser. Because as far as I knew you, you were safe at home, in bed, fast asleep. So what would you have done had they placed you in jail? Huh? Attempted to charm the guards with a bright smile, your award winning vocals and hope they released you because of your group's ability to harmonize over showtunes!"

"I-"

"No. I talk. You listen," Shelby interjected abruptly. "What you did tonight was not only irresponsible, reckless and childish. It was also selfish, Rachel. You went out to try and prove that you could be just like your friends but without any regard as to how your actions could've affected anyone else. I bet you never _once_ considered what would've happened if I had stopped by your room and saw you weren't there. How I would feel. What I would think. And on top of that when I called your phone over half a dozen times, and got no response, do you have any idea what I thought had happened to you? It didn't matter where you were at that point, I just needed to know you were safe!" By now, Shelby's voice had begun to crack. She hadn't intended to get emotional while "in character", but it was Rachel she was dealing with so even she knew it was bound to happen. Taking a deep breath, she quickly wiped away the tears before they could escape her eyes. "You have no idea how disappointed I am in you, Rachel. I had the utmost faith in you to always be upfront with me and to tell me anything. But today, you really, _really_ let me down. And while I'm sure I'll be able to trust you eventually, it's going to take me a while to do so."

Rachel didn't even bother to hold back the tears as they cascaded down her cheeks, but she opted to choking back several sobs as her mother continued to berate her.

"For the longest time after we reconnected I was so…so _proud_ that I could call you my daughter. That I could point you out to anyone and say with a smile 'Yeah that's my kid' because you were so well mannered, so polite, so…talented. A good student. And a good girl, who kept her nose clean. In my eyes you could do no wrong and your naivete was one of your most endearing qualities. But now, now I'm not even sure what to say if someone is ever to ask about you. 'Yeah, that's my daughter. The would-be criminal.' Doesn't really roll of the tongue now does it?" She watched as Rachel shook her head slightly, causing a few tears to fall to her lap and Shelby realized that as much as Rachel deserved this, she wasn't sure how much longer she herself could keep up the façade. She knelt down and tilted Rachel's chin up so she could look into her eyes. What Shelby saw there, the sincere regret and absolute remorse, caused a few tears of her own to slip out. "Honey, I love you and I always will but this, _this,_ never, and I mean _never_, happens again. Or so help me god, a lecture will be the least of your worries. Are we clear?"

Rachel bit her lip and nodded vigorously as she looked down at her mother.

Shelby smiled faintly. "I think it goes without saying that you're grounded for at least the next week, or so. And we will be talking about this further until I feel you have completely grasped what I've told you here today. But for now, go take a shower and get some sleep because I'm sure you haven't slept at all since you got home." She stepped back and stood up to her full height, allowing Rachel ample space to get up and leave.

As Rachel stood, she lifted her eyes to her mother, absently wringing her fingers in front of her. "M-mom…I really am sorry," she sniffled forlornly.

Shelby nodded as she looked down at her daughter. "I know, Hon. I know," she told her before hugging her tight and placing a kiss in her hair. "Now go on, go get some sleep." She then released her and watched Rachel exit the office, then sullenly make her way up the steps. After she heard the door to her daughter's bedroom shut, Shelby slumped down into the chair, heaving a heavy sigh. She'd always found lectures to be mentally exhausting and physically strenuous, but apparently they were even more so when it was your own child you were admonishing. And as she sat there in the blessed quietness of her office trying to catch her breath, she prayed that her daughter would do her damnedest to stay out of trouble because she wasn't sure how often she could deliver such a performance.

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Now while I have never been arrested, I have been escorted home by the police for a prank gone wrong way back in junior high (lol good times) and Shelby's 'lecture' is pretty similar to the one my own mother gave me, so I suppose that's my inspiration. However I still remain iffy on it. Sometime down the line I could very well change my mind, but till then it is what it is...

Anyway you know the drill...

_Good? Rotten Tomatoes? or just plain ehh? Lemme know._

_Till next time..._


	3. Chapter 3

_Thanks you guys so much! Your reviews made me feel a lot better and I'm glad everyone thought Shelby was basically on point :) To answer a few questions, bc my messaging refuses to cooperate..._

_No, I'm not a parent lol I've just been on the receiving end of ALOT of lectures. And my mom's military, so basically I grew up with a "Shelby" haha. Also, no gelatin does not work in a swimming pool, bc it requires heating and rapid cooling in order for the gelatin to take form. And in spite of my knowledge I said it in the story because I assumed most people would get the implied effect of putting Jello into a pool. And lastly, my junior high prank (gone wrong)...was exactly what you guys read. However instead of dumping gelatin into the pool, we used cornstarch which has the desired effect of turning the pool into a pool of jello. The mice and gerbils and rabbits were let loose in the gym and were discovered the next morning by the faculty. :D The bales of hay lined the more crowded hallways of the school and we put superglue into the keyholes of various administrative offices, so when it dried the key wouldn't go through. We also rewired the warning bell to play "I like Big Butts" by Sir Mixalot lol...like I said good times._

_So, the story...I thought I'd get it up for you guys before I left for DC tonite to catch Idina in concert tomorrow! Totally psyched btw! Anyway I felt really bad for what I put Rachel through and realized that I just couldn't leave it there, so here it is...Midnight Escapades, pt III._

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After her mother's ruling, Rachel had done as she was told and returned to her room. After a quick shower, she pulled on her pjs to prepare for bed despite the early morning hour. Admittedly she wasn't feeling the least bit tired as her mind was still running on overdrive as it processed "Ms. Corcoran's" reprimand. But the minute her head hit the pillow, she was out. A few hours later found her waking up about mid-afternoon. She made her way downstairs and met up with her mother who was getting an early start on dinner preparations. Opting to help her out in hopes of possibly alleviating her sentence, she started on the salad as Shelby worked on her homemade pasta sauce. As they were preparing the meal, Rachel spoke up and inquired as to the terms of her punishment.

"No TV. No car. No computer access, unless it's for homework. You will be forfeiting your ipod to me after dinner. And you can only have your cellphone during school hours," Shelby told her, never taking her eyes off of the task at hand. "I will also be picking you up the minute school ends—"

Rachel's jaw dropped. "B-but what about Glee?" she cried out desperately. She could've cared less about the fact she was a senior in high school and she would have to have her _mother_ pick her up and drop her off at school like a child. It was the fact she would have to miss out on the single most important thing that she had found fulfilling throughout her entire high school career, and possibly her life thus far, that was a little more than she could handle. "Mom, we practice everyday after school! That's…that's not fair!"

Shelby shrugged. "Should've considered that before you snuck out," she replied simply. "As I was saying I'll be picking you up the minute school ends and you will be joining me for Vocal Adrenaline's practices, where I can keep an eye on you."

"Can't you just have Mr. Schue keep an eye on me?" Rachel pleaded. "That way you can remain updated on my whereabouts and not be distracted during your rehearsals. And I don't end up missing my own glee rehearsals."

Shelby set aside the completed sauce and looked up at her daughter. "There's no room for discussion, Rachel. You chose to break the rules and now you will deal with the consequences. So if I say that you'll be missing glee, then you _will_ be missing glee. Understood?"

"Understood," Rachel replied feeling thoroughly chastised. Rachel knew there was no sense arguing her point any further, mainly because she was fearful that Ms. Corcoran would reappear, so she spent the rest of the afternoon silently fuming as her mother carried on as if nothing had happened. Later that evening, after clearing the table and taking care of the dinner dishes, Rachel led her mom up to her bedroom and watched helplessly from her perch on the edge of her bed as her most prized possessions were confiscated and taken to some unknown location. "How am I supposed to entertain myself? I have no music, no internet and I can't drive anywhere."

Shelby offered a saccharinely, sweet smile as she stood in the doorway with her recently attained bounty. "I'm sure you'll think of something," she told her distraught daughter. "Oh, and lights out at 9."

Rachel's eyes widened. "That's in five minutes!"

"I know." And with that Shelby made her exit.

Minutes later, Rachel had just barely completed her nightly routine and gotten into bed when her mother stopped by, said "goodnight" and abruptly flipped the light switch. With no ipod to listen to and no phone to text her friends, she was left to stare up at the ceiling and twiddle her thumbs. Her clock read 9:05 and the way the green digits were blinking, they seemed to be taunting her. With a huff, she rolled onto her side and angrily fluffed her pillow as she tried in vain to fall asleep. At the rate things were going, it was going to be a _very_ long week.

**Monday**

When morning rolled around, both mother and daughter had very few words for each other. Other than the polite _good morning,_ neither seemed willing to partake in any meaningful conversation since the past weekend's events were still fresh in their minds. Breakfast was a quick affair. Shelby had her morning coffee with a slice of toast and Rachel prepared her customary protein shake. Ten minutes later, they were sitting in Shelby's Range Rover and pulling out of the driveway. The ride to McKinley High was usually a long one, but even more so due to the silence. Shelby turned and caught sight of her daughter out of the corner of her eye. Rachel had her elbow propped up against the door and her chin was resting in her palm. Every now and then she released an expressive sigh. Her melodramatic attitude only caused Shelby to roll her eyes and smirk before returning her gaze to the road ahead.

When they eventually pulled up to McKinley High, Shelby watched on in amusement as Rachel quickly scrambled out of the car and opened the door to the backseat to retrieve her bagpack. Before she could run off however, she called Rachel back to the passenger window. "Remember. Meet me right here the minute school is over. No dawdling because I'm going to have to get back in time to start VA's rehearsal."

"Yes Ma'am," Rachel mumbled with a mock salute, before hauling her bag over shoulder and beginning her trek to the front entrance of the school.

Shelby chuckled at her daughter's overdramatic antics before driving off. It was definitely going to be an interesting week.

When Shelby returned a few hours later, she pulled up to find Rachel sitting on the curb with Finn, Mercedes, Quinn and Kurt. All of whom seemed to be waiting on their own respective parents. "Hey guys," she called out from within her car. She smiled at the teens' emotionless, resounding chorus of 'Good Afternoon Ms. Corcoran', before gesturing to Rachel. She watched her daughter say goodbye to her friends and then hug her boyfriend. However she noticed that Rachel didn't seem to want to let Finn go, so she cleared her throat to get her attention. "Rachel?"

Rachel promptly released her hold of Finn's waist and with one last longing look at her classmates, got into her mother's SUV.

They'd been driving for a while when Shelby noticed Rachel had taken up the same position as this morning. Minus the sighing every five minutes. "So…how was school?"

Rachel slowly turned her head and stared at her mother incredulously. "It was great," she answered brightly, the sarcasm more than evident in her tone. "Would you prefer to hear about my adventures in lunch detention? Or perhaps you'd be more interested in the fact I'll be missing glee indefinitely for at least the next week and thus fall behind."

"Don't start, young lady," Shelby warned. "All of this could've been avoided—"

"I know, I know, if I hadn't snuck out," Rachel parroted, crossing her arms and settling back into her seat.

"Exactly." Shelby opted to leaving Rachel to stew in her anger and frustration for the remainder of the ride. Pulling into her assigned parking spot once they arrived at Carmel High, she grabbed her briefcase and led Rachel into the massive auditorium. Taking up her usual seat at her makeshift desk, she directed Rachel to the row behind her to get started on her homework. As Shelby was pulling out her various set-lists that she intended to go over today, her VA kids entered the room.

"Hey Coach."

"What's up Ms. C!"

Shelby greeted her students with a smile and pointed them towards the stage. She was just about to announce today's agenda when one of her seniors spoke up.

"What's Berry doin' here?"

Shelby's previously benevolent mood immediately vanished as she glared on at the young man who had the audacity to pose such an inconsiderate question. "For those of you who are new to Vocal Adrenaline, this is my daughter, Rachel," she announced, gesturing to Rachel and reigning in her temper at the same time. She turned to Rachel, who offered a disinterested wave never taking her eyes off of her assigned reading material. "As for what she's doing here, as you so eloquently put it Mr. Thomas, she will be joining us for the next few days to assist me. Any more questions?"

"Aren't you worried she might leak our set-list to her own team?" another student asked.

Shelby was about to respond when she heard Rachel murmur a subtle '_as if_' behind her. "I trust Rachel to be upstanding and fair. So no, I don't believe she will 'leak our set-list.' Isn't that right, Rach?"

"Yes Mom," Rachel replied monotonously, again, keeping her nose buried in her history textbook.

"Good. Now if there are no more questions. Here's what we'll be doing for Sectionals…"

**Wednesday**

The seemingly simple routine went on for a few days without a hitch. Rachel would wait for her mother outside, Shelby would pull up and together they would make their way back to Carmel for Shelby's glee rehearsals. It wasn't until today that Shelby truly began to have any misgivings over her punishment for Rachel.

Throughout previous practices, Rachel had been preoccupied with her homework for the most part. But today, apparently no homework had been assigned for any of her classes and Rachel had virtually nothing to do but watch her mom conduct rehearsal. For five hours. Five long, boring hours. She watched her rival team with pure disdain and scoffed at their plastic show faces, while softly criticizing their almost robotic dance numbers.

Shelby rolled her eyes at her daughter's murmurings, turning away from her students for a moment. "Something wrong, _Sweetie_?" she inquired, looking at her daughter and catching the contempt that was easily found in her eyes.

"No, _Mom_.".

"Well then perhaps you can save the running commentary for another time," Shelby told her through clenched teeth. Turning back to face the stage, she caught her team just as they had begun the second half of the routine. Shelby resumed mentally counting off steps and beats in time with the music and keeping a watchful eye on every single member of her team. Unfortunately her concentration was broken when Rachel began murmuring yet again. "Rachel?"

"Sorry."

No more than a minute later, Shelby heard her again. "Okay, that's it," she said to noone in particular. Retrieving her office keys from within her purse, she offered them to Rachel. If her daughter continued, there was no way she could maintain the level of concentration that she needed to ensure practice went smoothly. She held out the keys for Rachel to take. "Go to my office and stay there until I come and get you."

Rachel took the offered keys. "And just what am I _supposed_ to _do_ for the next," she asked impassively, before quickly examining her watch, "two and half hours?"

Shelby looked to the ceiling. "Rachel!" she growled out in frustration.

"Can I _at least_ check my email?"

"_Fine. _Just _go_!" Shelby then watched as Rachel quickly made her way out of the auditorium, muttering something about 'soulless automatons' and finally leaving Shelby with the quiet she truly needed to scrutinize VA's missteps that she hadn't witnessed earlier due to her daughter's "observations". "Okay, guys from the top."

After rehearsal ended, Shelby stopped by her office and found Rachel entertaining herself with random youtube videos. She allowed Rachel's blatant disregard for her initial rules to slide because she was already at her wit's end. "Let's go."

Rachel promptly shut down the computer and struggled to keep up with her mother's quickened pace out to the parking lot. It didn't take much for Rachel to realize her mom was in no mood to socialize, but she wasn't sure she could take the silence for the duration of the ride home and therefore she decided to turn on the radio to provide some much needed background music. As she stretched out her hand however, her mother's own hand shot out and immediately swat it away from the console. Rachel withdrew her hand and looked to her mother with a furrowed brow. "What did I—" She found herself effectively silenced by a self explanatory glare from her mother. "Fine. Quiet time with Mom, it is."

Shelby gripped the steering wheel even tighter, her knuckles turning white under the extra pressure. She also took extra care in her controling her breathing, what with her temper quickly approaching boiling point after Rachel's back talk. When they pulled up to the house, she made no moves to get out the vehicle and implemented the autolock controls on her door to ensure Rachel wouldn't exit either. "Change in plans. You're not coming to VA practice tomorrow."

"I'm not?"

"You're not," Shelby confirmed. She watched as the beginnings of a faint smile appeared on Rachel's lips, so she quickly treaded on before her daughter could get her hopes too high. "I'll still be picking you up after school, but instead I'll be dropping you at home. And even though I won't be here to watch you, you're still grounded so the same rules and restrictions apply. Got it?"

Rachel nodded in agreement before manually opening the lock, getting out of the car and slamming the door with an angry huff. Shelby, on the other hand, remained within the vehicle, thoroughly tempted to scream out her frustrations at her unresponsive steering wheel and dashboard.

**Friday**

The next day everything went as planned. After school, Shelby picked Rachel up and deposited her daughter at home, reminding her once again of the rules before returning to Carmel.

About an hour into practice, Shelby's phone began to vibrate indicating an incoming call. It was Rachel inquiring as to whether or not she owned a mop. Somewhat puzzled, she let it be, assuming Rachel had made a mess and only sought to clean it up. She quickly directed Rachel to search the basement before ending the call. A few minutes later her phone began vibrating again. This time Rachel was inquiring about a bucket, disinfectant and wood polish. Again she directed Rachel to each item's location and this time Rachel hung up. Shelby pulled her phone away from her ear, feeling even more mystified. _What the hell was Rachel up to?_ She tried to return her attention to her students, but was overcome by her confusion and growing curiousity. She dismissed her students for a quick five minute break before pulling out her phone once again and dialing the house line. With a hint of dread, she tapped her nails against the table as she waited for her daughter to pick up.

"_Corcoran residence."_

"It's me, Rach. What exactly did you need all those things for?" Shelby asked.

"_It's not what you think, Mom. Nothing's broken."_

"Well then fill me in," Shelby urged.

"_It's simple really. Since you insist on locking me up and treating me like a modern day Cinderella, I figured I would at least act the part. By the way, where can I find the glass cleaner?"_

Shelby answered her daughter's question by brusquely hitting the 'end' button on her cell.

**Saturday**

Having successfully avoided Rachel the entire night before, Shelby awoke feeling refreshed. She sat up in bed glad that last night's migraine, brought on by a dismal rehearsal with Vocal Adrenaline in addition to the sensory overload provided by the dozens of scents of cleaning products that bombarded her nose when she entered her home, had finally gone. However her previous frustrations had not. They unfortunately remained hidden directly below the surface and it wouldn't take much to bring them out. If anything, the past week had been a testament to that sentiment.

Things couldn't continue like this. They were both miserable and there was no way it was beneficial to their relationship. Shelby fell back into her pillows with a groan. It felt like all of her planning from last week had been in vain because here she was essentially back at square one, trying to figure out just what the hell she was going to do with Rachel. As she was considering another method of punishment, a knock at her door pulled her from her thoughts.

"Mom? It's me. It's Rachel."

_Who else would it be?_ Shelby thought wryly, a small chuckle escaping her lips. "Come in, Rach." Shelby sat up and watched as Rachel entered the room, her eyes downcast.

"Can we talk?" Rachel asked quietly as she absently fingered the hem of her Tshirt. She looked up to see Shelby throwing the blankets off of the other side of the bed and gesturing for her to have a seat. Climbing in next to her mom, Rachel pulled her knees up to her chest and began toying with the edge of the blanket. Taking a deep breath, she began. "I was wrong. About everything. I shouldn't have lied to you, I shouldn't have snuck out, and I shouldn't have acted so immature this past week. I was raised better. Much better. By my dads, by you. You expected better of me and I let you down. And I know you said it's going to take some time before you trust me again, but I want you to know that I'm going to try really hard to regain your trust. Because I don't like how things have been between us lately. I mean you're my _Mom_. I should want to be around you. I should want talk to you. Instead I've been annoying the hell out of you and giving you a lot of unnecessary headaches. Not to mention causing you grief that you really don't deserve." She paused to take another breath from her extensive speech and to wipe a few errant tears from her eyes. "And I know I've said it a lot already, but I _really_ am sorry, Mom."

Shelby pulled Rachel to her side and tucked her daughter's head underneath her own. "Apology accepted, babygirl," she said with a watery smile. She hugged Rachel tighter to her as her daughter began sniffling into her shoulder. It had taken a whole week of absolute frustration, irritation and annoyance but it seemed that Rachel finally understood the magnitude of her actions. Shelby smiled down at her daughter, thankful that she had finally learned her lesson.

Great as all of this was, however, it didn't change the fact that she _had_ broken the rules.

"Rach?"

"Yeah?"

"You know you're still grounded, right?"

"_Mooooom!_"

* * *

OK the end...for real this time :) ...Or is it? (evil laugh)

Anyway you know the drill...

_Good? Rotten Tomatoes? or just plain ehh? Lemme know._

_Till next time..._


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